AUTHOR=D’Assoro Antonino B. , Haddad Tufia , Galanis Evanthia TITLE=Aurora-A Kinase as a Promising Therapeutic Target in Cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=5 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2015.00295 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2015.00295 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=

Mammalian Aurora family of serine/threonine kinases are master regulators of mitotic progression and are frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Among the three members of the Aurora kinase family (Aurora-A, -B, and -C), Aurora-A and Aurora-B are expressed at detectable levels in somatic cells undergoing mitotic cell division. Aberrant Aurora-A kinase activity has been implicated in oncogenic transformation through the development of chromosomal instability and tumor cell heterogeneity. Recent studies also reveal a novel non-mitotic role of Aurora-A activity in promoting tumor progression through activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition reprograming resulting in the genesis of tumor-initiating cells. Therefore, Aurora-A kinase represents an attractive target for cancer therapeutics, and the development of small molecule inhibitors of Aurora-A oncogenic activity may improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients. In the present review, we will discuss mitotic and non-mitotic functions of Aurora-A activity in oncogenic transformation and tumor progression. We will also review the current clinical studies, evaluating small molecule inhibitors of Aurora-A activity and their efficacy in the management of cancer patients.